On a day of snowy New England weather, there was some speculations from fans that the show would be postponed, but to the fans delight the show was still on as planned. The concert goers gathered in Boston at the BOCH Center Wang Theatre just after the snow had dumped on the streets. Once at the venue they brushed off the snow and got ready for a night of great music.
First to hit the stage was an Instrumental band by the name of Arch Echo. They are a five piece band with unique guitars and heavy and aggressive sounds that will make you rock out to your air guitar. Their 30 minute set consisted of five songs. They opened their set with “To The Moon” and “Strut” from their 2020 EP Story I. They continued their set with newest single “Red Letter.” After a few more songs it was time for their short set to come to a close. They ended with “Color Wheel” and the crowd was pleased and gave them cheers and praise. If you like listening to instrumental music I highly recommend to check them out next time around.
After a short break it was now time for the headliners of the night to take the stage. Hailing from Boston, Ma Dream Theater is a Progressive Rock/Metal band that does not disappoint. They are currently touring off of their 2021 release A View From the Top Of the World, which is the bands fifteenth studio album. Halfway through the two month trek, Dream Theater made a stop in their hometown of Boston. Being from Boston you get a sense of how loved the band is by the hometown folk. As soon as the beat of “The Alien” by drummer Mike Mangini sounded the crowd was on their feet ready to rock. Portrayed on the giant background screens were various images of coin operated binoculars, which is the current Top of The World Tour logo. It portrayed various places as if you were looking through the binoculars.
Their set consisted of only ten songs, due to the length of the songs played. The set consisted of songs from the current album and a mix of songs through their thirty year library. The first thing we noticed was the keyboardist, Jordan Rudess had a unique setup. His keyboard was on a rotating platform. This meant that he was able to see all sides of the crowd and play to various members in the band. Next on the list was “6:00” which is from one of their earlier albums. Lead singer James LeBrie comes to the mic and addresses the crowd for a short monologue to introduce a new song “Awaken The Master.” They play a few more songs and he comes to the mic yet again. He notices a gentlemen in the crowd wearing a heavy jacket. He says the man in a joking fashion “Hey man would you mind doing me a favor and take your coat off your making me really hot”
He continued thanking the crowd for coming out tonight. He stated that it has been a long time since the band have played together and it feels amazing to be back out and feels surreal. To get back with these guys you don’t realize how much you miss these guys till you get back into it. We have been together for 30 years. Thank you for the reception we received on the new album. We have popcorn and drinks back there. He then introduces another new song “Invisible Monster.”. They play a few more songs before the encore. The band left the stage for a short break and came back out to play one last song of the evening “The Count of Tuscany.” During the song, James had the crowd waving their hands and arms from side to side. This was such a memorable night for Boston. There is still more dates left on their tour so if you can get out and check them out. They will definitely not disappoint. listed below is the complete tour schedule and links for tickets.
Dream Theater
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Arch Echo
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BOCH Center
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